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A few weeks ago in Toronto, Zach Fucale said he wanted to go to the world junior and “write his own little story.”

The 18-year-old goalie has been granted that opportunity by coach Brent Sutter at the 2014 tournament.

Fucale will start in goal for Canada against Slovakia Monday, and Sutter emphasized Sunday that the door to Canada’s crease remains open for the remainder of the event.

“You have to embrace it,” Fucale said, throwing aside the idea he is going to feel pressure to help lead Canada to a victory. “We all want to be part of these situations, we all want to be in those big games.”

The assumption had been that Jake Paterson was Canada’s No. 1 netminder, as that commonly is the case when the same goalie starts each of the first two games of the tournament.

But Paterson, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, has not been lights out. In fact, far from it. Paterson will carry a .868 save percentage and a 3.36 goals-against average to the bench.

If Fucale has something close to a strong performance versus Slovakia, he could very well get the call against the United States the next night on New Year’s Eve.

“We’ll see how he plays and we will determine after the game what we are going to do the next game,” Sutter said. “I told you guys (the media) at the start, we’re taking it game to game. I haven’t said who was going to be our No. 1 and who wasn’t. You guys have said all of that. I have not told you guys who that is going to be. We have a plan in place and we will see how it unfolds.”

Perhaps, but if Paterson had been sharper, especially against the Czech Republic in a 5-4 shootout loss, there would be no question about who would be in goal versus the Americans. Sutter still could have given Fucale the start against Slovakia, which would have kept Paterson from playing three games in four nights.

Sutter rode one goalie, Justin Pogge, for all six games in the 2006 world junior, and in 2005, used Jeff Glass in five of Canada’s six games. Canada didn’t lose once.

One would think that internally, Sutter might have settled on Paterson to be the guy.

At any rate, it’s not going to be just about goaltending when Canada faces Slovakia, which has not beaten the Canadians in the world junior. The aim is to get better every day, but the Canadians shot wide on that versus the Czechs.

Sutter ran a spirited practice Sunday, putting a dead stop to an early drill when the players weren’t getting it right. From there, the intensity picked up, but the group was trying to have some fun as well, as evidenced by a game within the centre-ice circle toward the end.

“It’s a good mood,” said defenceman Mathew Dumba, who has just about kicked the illness that kept him from practising on Friday. “We have all got over (the loss). We can’t really dwell on it.”

Fucale has faced some hot moments in goal, most recently with the Halifax Mooseheads and their march to the Memorial Cup title in May. He has won a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship, gold with the under-18 team at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, and, in minor hockey, was on bantam and peewee championship teams.

The game on Monday will be his first since Dec. 20, when Canada beat Finland in an exhibition.

“(Watching) has not been difficult at all,” Fucale said. “I just wanted to be supportive and stay ready all the time, and (Monday) I’m just going to get in the net and play the best game I can. It’s all I can really do.

“I’m going to make sure I stay loose and relaxed. When the game will start, I will be ready.”

That’s all Sutter needs to hear from the Montreal Canadiens draft pick.

“He is a confident guy,” Sutter said. “He is a goalie that has great ability, and listen, he has won a Memorial Cup at a young age. He is one of two very good goalies here, and now he is going to get an opportunity.”

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Zach Fucale will embrace first world junior game

A few weeks ago in Toronto, Zach Fucale said he wanted to go to the world junior and “write his own little story.”

The 18-year-old goalie has been granted that opportunity by coach Brent Sutter at the 2014 tournament.

Fucale will start in goal for Canada against Slovakia on Monday, and Sutter emphasized on Sunday that the door to Canada’s crease remains open for the remainder of the tournament.

“You have to embrace it,” Fucale said, throwing aside the idea he is going to be under pressure to help lead Canada to a victory. “We all want to be part of these situations, we all want to be in those big games.”

The assumption had been that Jake Paterson was Canada’s No. 1 netminder, as that is just about always the case when the same goalie starts each of the first two games of the tournament.